This will be the seventh time Graham and I will be leading a group together at Ty Newydd. It is always an intense week with lots of laughter and some tears. Some participants have returned year after year – even though the course material might be the same, there are always new insights and every group creates its own special alchemy. The house, with its comfy library and views over the sea, walks in the woods and along the coast is, for me, one of the most special places in the world – arriving up the long tree-lined drive and seeing the open gate, I always feel like I’m coming home.

There is a growing body of evidence that creative writing and reading can promote better health and well-being. This course is intended as an introduction to the theory and practice of using the literary arts as an integral part of health and social care. Participants will draw on their own experience to explore the different ways writing can be used with and by patients, clients and service users and in health, educational or community settings. The writing itself may take the form of poetry, fiction, memoir, drama or creative non-fiction. This course will be of interest to writers of all kinds, medical and healthcare professionals, counsellors, therapists, social workers, librarians, academics, teachers, service users and service providers in a variety of health and therapeutic environments. It is also suitable for anyone with a personal interest in any of these fields.

Victoria Field and Graham Hartill

Graham Hartill – poet, workshop facilitator, lecturer. He studied at the Universities of Wales and Massachusetts, and has since given countless workshops and classes in the UK, USA and China. Co–founder of Lapidus, the UK–wide association for the promotion of creative writing in therapeutic contexts, Graham has worked in settings as varied as hospitals, mental health centres and with the elderly. He is writer-in-residence at HMP and YOI Parc, one of the biggest prisons in Europe and he teaches on the MSc. course “Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes” for the Metanoia Institute. His selected poems, Cennau’s Bell was published in 2005 and his latest book A Winged Head by Parthian Books in 2006.

Responses (5)

Catherine Godwin

August 10, 2014 at 5:37 pm ·

Hi, clicked on link for info and booking on the forthcoming ‘Writing in health and social care’ but it said ‘file not found, may have moved’ etc. I am interested in attending this if there are places still available. Help ! Thanks,
Cat

6vicky7

August 11, 2014 at 2:55 pm ·

Dear Catherine – sorry about that – I hope I have no up-dated the link. If you still have problems, try this http://www.literaturewales.org/x33-writing-in-health-and-social-care/ or google Ty Newydd Writing in Health and Social Care. If you are interested please book soon -there were places but the course has a history of booking up quickly at the last minute. Hope to see you there! Vicky

Catherine Godwin

August 11, 2014 at 3:42 pm ·

Hi Vicky,
Thank you for your prompt reply, update successful ! There are places available so will get application in ASAP. I thoroughly enjoyed your workshop at Much Wenlock which yielded both creative/ therapeutic results. I have started two poetry groups in Devizes, one is a writing one, which is proving powerful and transformative for others, albeit unintentional. As a recovering alcoholic of 17 yrs and recovered depressive, whose poetry has kept me alive, I want to offer something to others as responsibly as possible and your course sounds like the ideal starting point.

Regards Cat (smiles, iPhone doesn’t do emoticons!)

6vicky7

September 29, 2014 at 1:17 pm ·

So glad you made it to Wales, Cat – hope our paths cross again – love Vicky

Cat

September 29, 2014 at 6:45 pm ·

Hi Vicky,
I am very glad too to have made it to Wales and very grateful you were able to run the course. I learned soooooo much! And had a gert lush time too. So productive and fun. In a word , magic! Had 8hr wait at Bangor for train and ended up in public loos locked in a cubicle listening and writing a poem. I hope our paths cross again, will always come to any of your workshops if I can so feel free to email and keep me in any interesting poetry related loops. Love n line breaks! Cat xx

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